Blue and White Done Right | Hudson Moore
Intro: Welcome to the one and only interior Design Book Podcast, Decorating by the Book, hosted by Suzy Chase from her dining room table in New York City. Join Suzy for conversations about the latest and greatest interior design books with the authors who wrote them.
Hudson Moore: Hi, I'm Hudson Moore. I'm the author of the new book Blue and White Done Right.
Suzy Chase: It is a thrill to have you on because I adore Schumacher. It is everything to me. And you are the senior design editor at Frederic magazine. And for those who don't know, it's named after Frederic Schumacher, who founded F. Schumacher and Co. in 1889. Now, if you ask me, blue and white is timeless. It takes me back to my childhood home in Kansas and my mom's WASPy aesthetic, we often think of blue and white as a coastal or country theme, but blue and white can also elevate a space. I love the color combination. What does it mean to you? Did you grow up with it? Did you discover it later?
Hudson Moore: Oh, blue and know, I think everyone kind of can have a connection to the combo. I think back to my grandmother's blue and, you know, growing up in the country, in Oklahoma, there was really no pretension, but as soon as the china came out on Sundays, it always felt like something special. One of my best friend's apartment. It's just one of my favorite places in the world. We'll sit and drink coffee out of Burleigh ware in the mornings, and there's something just timeless and classic that I think I really connect with.
Suzy Chase: Who has your grandma's china?
Hudson Moore: She still has it.
Suzy Chase: That's great.
Hudson Moore: Every time I visit her, it's always out on the table.
Suzy Chase: So I've heard you say you're a minimalist, which makes me crack up. But when I think of blue and white, for some reason, I think of maximalism. Now, are you really a minimalist?
Hudson Moore: I am. I think living in New York City has forced that upon me, but it's just living with the bare minimum in such a small space.
Suzy Chase: Yeah, I get it. I'm in a 900 square foot apartment here in the West Village, but it's definitely maximalismed out.
Hudson Moore: That's so fun.
Suzy Chase: So the first photo is my favorite wallpaper from Schumacher, and it's plates and platters. And if I'm not mistaken, this is Johnson Hartig's old kitchen before he moved.
Hudson Moore: Yeah, that's right.
Suzy Chase: So talk a little bit about that wallpaper.
Hudson Moore: Well, Johnson Hardig is a genius, and he wanted to do this platter wallpaper, and there's something really just energizing and commanding about it. I think he uses it in his kitchen as a backsplash, which is so fun. And I think he ended up putting like a plexiglass over the top of it so that it was practical. But it just makes such a great accompaniment to his kind of all white kitchen.
Suzy Chase: That's so smart that he put the plexiglass over it, because I was always thinking like, how does this thing not get wet?
Hudson Moore: Yeah, totally. It's a fun way to add pattern to your kitchen that's not tile.
Suzy Chase: And then I think, if my memory serves me right, that he moved and then he put it in his dining room.
Hudson Moore: Yeah, that's right. So he installed it in his dining room, floor to ceiling, and all the millwork in the room, he sponge painted. So it was white millwork that then he sponge painted with blue paint. And the whole thing kind of feels like this cocoon. It's very cool.
Suzy Chase: So blue and white is a classic color combination in interior design, a match made in heaven. What are some of the first examples of blue and white in design?
Hudson Moore: This was really one of the things that I learned about the most. I found it so interesting in the book, we trace blue and white pottery all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia. And their use of blue on pottery to imitate lapis, which was so highly regarded and valuable at the time. And then artisans in what is now Iraq used that same hue on off white pottery and wood paint designs. Eventually, that pottery was taken on the Silk Road, and the Chinese were the first to use those same methods on stark white porcelain. And that really is where we start to see the iconic blue and white porcelain come to life.
Suzy Chase: In the book, you talk about how blue and white can bend to a wide range of styles, configurations and themes. Can you talk just a little bit about how the book is organized and the chapters?
Hudson Moore: Totally. So we start out with that history lesson, which I think there's really something there for everyone. I find it so interesting. It didn't stop with the Chinese. The history continues on, and we see the French do blue and white so well, and the Danish do blue and white so well, and then it all comes to the states, and we have our stamp on it. And then we get into the glossary, which is a really fun part of the book, where we break down different shades of blue and white and the histories behind them, and then we go into blue and white broken down by decorating styles. So we have a glamorous chapter, a modern chapter, a traditional chapter, all really showing the wide variance of the color combination and decoration. And then we end with this section on iconic designs, which I really think is like the ode to the classics of blue and white decorating, from china patterns to wallpaper to fabric.
Suzy Chase: So I love the little glossary of blues that you just mentioned, and that's where you break down the different hues and write a little snippet about the background of it. And I always lean towards this one. I found it's a tough blue to find in upholstered furniture, and that's the very, very classic navy blue. So what's the story behind navy blue.
Hudson Moore: It's also one of my favorites. I love navy. It's a funny story about George II. In 1748, he was kind of enamored with this piece of clothing that the Duchess of Bedford wore, and he ended up choosing that same hue to put on the uniforms for the British Royal Navy. And that is where the name Navy Blue comes from.
Suzy Chase: And another beaut is cornflower. Could you tell that Vermeer story?
Hudson Moore: So Vermeer was so enamored with this color, and the cornflower color that he was mixing came from Lapis. It's a little bit tragic because in his time in creating all of his masterpieces, he went into debt from trying to mill this color out of Lapis. And he has so many masterpieces where he commissions cornflower. We note in the book The Girl with a Pearl Earring, which is just so special.
Suzy Chase: So then you have two pages of whites. What is the most classic white? I would think it's eggshell.
Hudson Moore: I would say you're probably right. I think most people tend toward a white that isn't necessarily stark. There's a little bit of warmth to it. I think that would be eggshell here's.
Suzy Chase: My issue with whites is that sometimes they're almost light gray. I like a really pure white to go with the blue? Okay. The cover is so interesting to me. It is almost fabric. What's the backstory on the cover.
Hudson Moore: Is a fabric cover, and we really wanted to show a fun Schumacher pattern, and the story behind it is actually very fun. I had my assistant at the time, Ella, go to a Schumacher showroom and pull every blue and white fabric that Schumacher had ever produced. And when I gave her the commission, I was like, oh, this is easy. It ended up taking her three days because there was so much. And we sat in a conference room and just poured over all these fabrics and knew we wanted something exciting and knew we wanted to kind of capture the spirit of the book. So we whittled it down to this iconic pattern from Josef Frank called Exotic Butterfly, and we really worked with the printers to develop it and make it feel like the exact fabric. There was a lot of color matching. And we developed the fabric and the paper that they were using for the covers to really make sure that it felt right.
Suzy Chase: So there's a room in the book by Miles Redd and David Kaihoi. Is that how you pronounce his last name?
Hudson Moore: Kaihoi.
Suzy Chase: Kaihoi. And they've combined speaking of so many shades of blue, they've combined so many shades of blue in one living room, and it knocked my socks off from cobalt to cerulean to powder to navy, and guess what? It all works. Can you talk a little bit about this room?
Hudson Moore: They are quite the pair, those two, Miles and David. It's very yin yang situation. They have almost opposing aesthetics, and yet their rooms and their work really come together in this amazing synergy. And I think that that room in particular really works because every color has a pair in the room. Like, every color is repeated somewhere else. And I think it is a genius use of color and decoration.
Suzy Chase: I feel like blue is the only color you can do that with. Like, if you did that with green, I think it would look crazy.
Hudson Moore: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there are examples of it done correctly, but there is something about the blue hues and the finding the combinations of these different undertones that, I don't know, just kind of melds. We have examples in nature of all these different blues kind of coming together from the sky to the sea, and I think it feels natural.
Suzy Chase: One look I just adore is the bedroom in the Peter and Paul Hotel in New Orleans. It's decorated almost entirely of blue and white gingham of varying scales. It's so clever. Can you talk a little bit about this?
Hudson Moore: Yes. Another really smart example of decorating, it's from the firm Ash, NYC. And I love their know. They take this one motif and put it in the room with many different scales. And I think that really works because they didn't try to bring in a bunch of different color, they didn't try to manipulate any other areas of the design. They really let the pattern have play. And by altering that scale, it just really makes for this amazing showcase.
Suzy Chase: So do you have any favorite blue and white interior design projects that you feature in the book?
Hudson Moore: One of my favorite things in the book is this kitchen. It's in the casual and classic chapter. It's by Jean-Louis Deniot, and he's a Parisian designer that just really has nailed color theory. And he painted this kitchen in this soft eggshell white and the cabinets in the striking blue. And then, so smartly, he takes and paints all of the decorative millwork on the cabinets in white. And it really makes that millwork stand out in such an interesting way. I always love when designers use color to delineate something special in the room, whether that's millwork or special architectural features. And I think that he did it so well.
Suzy Chase: As trends in decorating are constantly evolving, how do you see the role of blue and white evolving in contemporary designs? Are there any new twists or applications you've seen out in the wild?
Hudson Moore: I think we've said this already, but I think blue and white is a classic combo that just will never go out of style. But the trend that I'm really seeing in decorating right now, which is really exciting to me, is that people are decorating to their personality. And there is a lot of individualism in decorating right now. A fun example of this with blue and white. So, a designer that I love so much in New York City, Peter Dolkas, he has this super cool super modern apartment. And I went this spring and photographed it, and everything is very neutral and clean. He has this Donald Judd esque daybed in his living room, and then it's time for lunch and we sit down and he pulls Royal Copenhagen out of the kitchen cabinet. It was so perfectly him. And I think that that know, really blue and white done this, you know, finding the things that you love and bringing it into your home, and it really being a perfect picture of you.
Suzy Chase: Talk a little bit about the last section of the book entitled Iconic Designs. If you're unsure what fabric and wallpaper to put together in a room, this is a fantastic reference that I'm going to use.
Hudson Moore: Well, thank you. I think it's great. I think that it is this ode to all of the classics. So we went on the hunt to really dig up all of the classic blue and white china patterns, the classic blue and white fabrics and wallpapers that are out on the market. And everything in this little chapter should feel familiar because we wanted it to just be a reference of things that we're deeming as timeless that have been around for tens, even hundreds of years, and they really stand the test of time.
Suzy Chase: And it's really essential for that person like me who is afraid to mix and match. I always think it's going to look crazy, but if you're afraid to mix and match, you need to check out the last section of this book.
Hudson Moore: Yeah. And I hope this book in its entirety gives you confidence to play because it's a real example of decorating that is not shy. There's a lot of courage, but I think it works. I think decorating works when you're confident in your decisions, and it's a real advocate for that, I think this book.
Suzy Chase: Now to my segment called Home, where I ask you to describe one memory of your childhood home. And please start by telling us where it was.
Hudson Moore: I grew up in south central Oklahoma, and funny enough, I can't really say that I had one childhood home. I think I had about seven before graduating high school. My parents love renovating homes and love design, and we just moved from house to house in our little farm town, and they would fix one up and then get totally bored and we would have to move. But that taught me a lot. And I loved watching how a bit of work went a long way into making a beautiful life. What I've taken away from those childhood homes is just the importance of home. And if you love the space that you're in, if you craft a space that represents you, it really does change. It makes a psychological, very environmental difference that you really feel and experience.
Suzy Chase: Did you find that each home you moved into was kind of like the same as the last? Or did your parents completely switch it up.
Hudson Moore: There were some big changes. We went from this tutor to this mid-century modern to this mission house. And so the furniture, too. I found it funny, like my parents would things that wouldn't work in the next house, they'd just get rid of. And we'd move into the next house with just beds and some nostalgic keepsakes, and then they'd find things along the way to add to this new home that kind of completed it. But there was no permanence of things, no real nostalgic ties to furniture. And I kind of love that I live my life that way now. There's not a ton of stock and things. I could get rid of everything in my apartment tomorrow and start new. It's a real creative exploration and freedom.
Suzy Chase: Where can we find you on the web and social media?
Hudson Moore: Being the design editor at Frederick magazine, we have a digital platform there, Fredericmagazine.com, which I think there's some great stories, not by my own doing, but great reporting and design work and trend pieces. And then I'm on social media. My handle is @HudsonMoore on Instagram, and I love Instagram for the way that it connects all of us and inspires us and all of the things.
Suzy Chase: So I had Linda Jane Holden on the show a few years ago, and one time she asked Bunny Mellon what her favorite color was, and Bunny said, Blue. And Linda said, what blue? And she said blue. Any blue. You know I'm with Bunny, so I cannot thank you enough, Hudson, for coming on Decorating by the Book podcast.
Hudson Moore: Thank you. This was so much fun. I loved it.
Outro: Follow Decorating by the Book on Instagram. And thanks for listening to the one and only interior design book podcast, Decorating by the Book.
